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USL1 Forward Madison FC

Forward Madison Earns 2-1 Victory at Home against FC Tucson

June 4, 2022 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Forward Madison FC News Release


Forward Madison hosted FC Tucson at Breese Stevens Field for a USL League One match. The Flamingos claimed their first home win of the season, 2-1, with both Nazeem Bartman and Abdou Mbacke-Thiam tallying goals. Saturday's match kicked off at 7:00 pm CT on June 4th, 2022. The Flamingos opened the first half aggressively, recording their first corner kick in the 9' following a quick counterattack. Matheus Cassini nearly scored in the 11' when he got open in the box and just barely shot the ball over the top of the Tucson goal post. At the 17' mark, Cassini led a counterattack which resulted in Abdou Mbacke-Thiam firing a rocket of a shot on goal that got blocked by the Tucson goalkeeper. FC Tucson was shown their third yellow card of the half in the 28', when Tyler Allen committed a foul on an FMFC player.

Forward Madison finally broke the seal in the 30' when Mikey Maldonado passed the ball into Nazeem Bartman who fired a shot past the Tucson goalkeeper to give the Flamingos a 1-0 lead. In the 42', FC Tucson tied up the match thanks to Charlie Machell scoring off a cross into the box. After a strong first half for Forward Madison, the Flamingos entered the halftime break tied 1-1.

The second half kicked off with Forward Madison controlling the possession early. At the 50' mark, Drew Conner launched the ball over the Tucson defense to Nazeem Bartman. Bartman got a pass off to Abdou Mbacke-Thiam, who fired a shot past the Tucson keeper to give Forward Madison a 2-1 lead. In the 54', Tucson had an odd-man advantage in the box but Eric Leonard slid and deflected the shot, leading to a Flamingo clearance. Forward Madison continued to control the momentum in the second half but picked up four yellow cards in the span of six minutes, starting with one at the 63' mark. Taylor Bailey built on the momentum by coming up with a crucial save in the 73' to help Forward Madison hold onto their 2-1 lead. Coach Matt Glaeser put some fresh 'Mingos on the field in the 77', subbing in Jeremiah Streng and Justin Sukow for Abdou Mbacke Thiam and Derek Gebhard.

"We were able to close it out tonight and take a step in the right direction," Forward Madison Head Coach Matt Glaeser said.

"From the preseason to now, it's a completely different team," Mikey Maldonado said. "Can't help it, we're with each other 24/7."

With five minutes of stoppage time added, FC Tucson started applying more and more pressure in the final moments of the game, but Forward Madison persevered and held on to earn a well-deserved three points. Next on the schedule, Forward Madison will welcome Greenville Triumph SC for a match on June 11th. After that, the Flamingos will host an international friendly against SC Paderborn 07 on June 15th. As for Tucson, they'll host Union Omaha on June 11th.

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United Soccer League One Stories from June 4, 2022


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